Brain rot isn't some scary disease from a horror movie; it's what happens when you spend too much time on mindless activities like scrolling, binge-watching, or endlessly clicking on clickbait. That feeling when you watch so much short content that you start dreaming in 15-second clips—that's brain rot creeping in.
On a normal day, when you are trying to study for an upcoming exam, you have your textbooks open, something to drink, and you are determined to make this study session count. Just as you are about to start, you want to check your phone, just to quickly check a few things. You open Instagram and watch one reel, then swipe up, and then the next, and then the next. Before you know it, an hour has passed. Your textbooks are still lying there, and you can't remember what you were supposed to be reading or studying. That's brain rot in action.
You're trying to get back into your study groove, but it's hard to focus. It takes about 20 minutes to regain full focus after a distraction. Every time you see something online, you're setting yourself back even further. This distraction doesn't just affect your study session; it starts to spill over into the rest of your day. You decide to take a break, grab lunch, and while eating, you absentmindedly scroll again. Before you know it, another hour has passed. You feel sluggish, and the next morning you wake up groggy because you were up late making up for lost time. The cycle continues.
Excessive information leads to cognitive overload. Our brains aren't built to handle constant information bombardment. It's like trying to drink from a firehose—too much, too fast. Over time, this reduces brain activity in areas responsible for decision-making and impulse control. Social media delivers quick dopamine hits—like a drug. The more you use it, the more you crave. It also messes with your self-esteem. Remember: you’re comparing your behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.
Social media destroys attention spans. You read an article, a notification pops up, and soon you forget what you were even doing. This constant interruption trains your brain to crave distractions. Ironically, "social" media can make you feel isolated. Real human interaction—hearing someone’s voice, seeing expressions—is irreplaceable.
Now for some good news. You can fight brain rot. Unfollow pages that make you feel like a potato. Fill your feed with positivity. Better yet, put down the phone. Call a friend. Go for a walk. Pick up a new hobby. Invest in real connections. Deep conversations, real laughs, true understanding—these beat 100 likes on a post any day.